08 April 2016 – The Department of Foreign Affairs announced that its Foreign Service Posts (FSPs) are ready for the 30-day overseas voting period for the 2016 National Elections which will commence on 09 April and end on 09 May 2016 at 1700H Philippine Time.

There are 1,376,067 registered overseas voters who may vote in the coming elections. This is the first time since the start of overseas voting in 2004 that the number exceeds the one million mark.

Thirty (30) Posts with a total of some 1.12 million voters will do automated vote counting, while fifty two (52) Posts with a total of about 183,000 voters will do manual vote counting. Voting in Baghdad, Damascus and Tripoli is suspended due to the current policy calling for mandatory evacuation of Filipino citizens.

“After intensive training and detailed preparations, the DFA personnel and its Foreign Service Posts are ready to undertake this historic exercise. The new Vote Counting Machines (VCM) will be put to test by our Posts and Filipino overseas voters. I am confident that our overseas Filipinos will avail of this opportunity to play a huge role in strengthening our democracy by exercising their right to vote,” stated Foreign Affairs Secretary Rene Almendras.

“Since overseas Filipinos are considered to be their family’s bread winners, it is not a stretch to surmise that each overseas Filipino can influence the vote of at least three family members. Thus, the 1.3 million active registered overseas voters are roughly equivalent to 5.2 million votes. This is a definite game changer for Philippine politics,” said DFA-OVS Chairman Undersecretary Rafael E. Seguis.

All registered overseas Filipino voters may coordinate with the nearest Philippine Foreign Service Post or Manila Economic and Cultural Office (MECO) on the voting procedures. For additional information, please visit www.dfa-oavs.gov.ph or www.comelec.gov.ph. The overseas voting period ends at 1700H on 09 May 2016 Philippine Time.